Robert Zemeckis Boards Fox's 'Barefoot Bandit' Film (Exclusive)

David Gordon Green previously was attached to direct but has moved on to the horror tale "Suspiria."

Robert Zemeckis has come on board the Fox crime drama Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw.

Zemeckis will develop the project as a potential directing vehicle. Taking Flight previously had David Gordon Green developing to direct, but he has turned his attentions to the horror pic Suspiria, which is scheduled to begin shooting next month.

Zemeckis is overseeing the Taking Flight screenplay and is waiting for Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black to deliver the latest draft.

Based on Bob Friel's book The Barefoot Bandit, the true story centers on 18-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, who became a cult hero for a string of crimes that baffled local police, Homeland Security and the FBI. Known as the "Barefoot Bandit" due to his preference to prowl without footwear, Harris-Moore is considered a modern-day Robin Hood, with his exploits gaining tens of thousands of fans on Facebook.

Taking Flight marks something of a departure for Zemeckis, who typically works in the family-friendly sphere. He most recently directed the Denzel Washington starrer Flight for Paramount, which will be released Nov. 2. He also helmed the 2009 film A Christmas Carol.